Simplicity
by WritingOnTheStars
Summary: Avenger. I gave myself that title. I thought it suited me. I would avenge my family and revive my clan. That’s all there was to me. SasuSaku, drabble collection.
1. Beginnings

This is a collection of drabbles centered around the characters Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. I'm using the promts from the fanart100 livejournal community, though I'm not involved with the actual community in any way.

Every story has a beginning. This is theirs.

* * *

**Beginnings**

In the beginning, she knew she loved him.

It was the first time they met that created his place in her heart. A small moment, the week before she and Ino had become friends, had made all the difference.

_I really hate coming to this playground._ Six year old Haruno Sakura stumbled to a tree and settled herself near the roots, trying her best to melt into the grass.

_Why do they always beat me up? Is it because of my hair? Or my forehead? Maybe I'm just too weak... _She tugged uncomfortably on the bangs covering up the wide area below her hair line. _But is that a good enough reason to bully me?_

The tears stung her eyes once again. How many times had she sat in the park, crying for hours and attempting to cover most of the cuts and bruises before heading home? Her parents had been concerned, but she would give them a big smile and tell them she fell off the jungle gym, or some other random story.

They always believed her; she always lied to them.

Her small arms wrapped around her knees. _Why does this happen? Why can't I have at least one friend? Does anyone even care?_

That day had been even worse than normal. Her head hurt from having her hair pulled and she felt a painful lump on her right shoulder where she knew an ugly bruise was forming. But there was nothing she could do. _I'm too weak to even defend myself..._

She buried her head in her knees, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Sakura hated everything about herself. Her forehead. Her hair. Her personality. Her weakness.

Suddenly she felt someone sit beside her. Instinctively she tightened into a small ball, her only feeble protection from her bullies. But she didn't receive a punch.

Instead, a pair of hands slowly and carefully pried her arms apart, revealing her tear stained face. Before her sat a boy about her age, with a mass of dark hair and deep eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, still holding her wrists.

She sniffed and nodded. "Yeah..." she replied, her throat dry from crying.

"You don't look okay." The young boy pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her. She starred at it for a moment, then wiped her eyes carefully. "You can keep it, if you want."

She smiled. "Thanks."

His eyes roamed over all the bumps and scrapes on her arms and legs. "What happened to you?"

Her smile disappeared. "Some kids in the park don't like me very much."

A scowl crossed his face. "Why?"

"They... They say my hair is strange... and that I have a big forehead."

He blinked, and brought his hand up to brush her bangs away. "It's not that big, and I think your hair is pretty."

A bright blush crossed her cheeks. "Really?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It reminds me of the cherry blossoms."

"Oh yeah! My name's Sakura," she told him. _He's really nice, and sorta cute!_

"It's a nice name. It suits you." His head turned and fell on the setting sun. "Arg! I'm going to be late! I have to go!"

He got up and started running. She blinked and stood, her eyes following his every move. "Wait! What's your name?"

He stopped and turned, his dark eyes connecting with her emerald ones. "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well... Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she called as she clutched the handkerchief.

He slightly blushed and smiled. "Don't mention it. See ya!" He dashed off, leaving the pink haired little girl standing beneath the tree alone.

She glance at the cloth in her hands. _What's this symbol on the corner? A red and white fan? _

"Sasuke... Uchiha Sasuke..." She rolled the name around on her tongue and decided she liked the sound. "Someday I'll repay you, Sasuke-kun. I promise."

* * *

Seven years later, a young kunoichi picks up her pillow and examines a small white handkerchief with the little Uchiha symbol sewn into the corner. Her bright eyes look to her bed side table and glance past the picture of her genin team, landing on a fore head protector. The Konoha symbol is slashed in half.

"Someday Sasuke-kun..." Her clutch on the soft fabric tightens. "I'll repay you..."


	2. Hours

Set during the days when Team 7 were a genin team.

* * *

**Hours**

How many hours did they have to wait for Kakashi on that damned bridge? Sasuke scowled at the rising sun as he made himself comfortable against the railing.

_First as usual_, he thought to himself. _Sakura will be around soon. Naruto will be a couple more hours. Damn it, why don't I just sleep in like the dobe? It's not like Kakashi would ever know._

Deep down, Sasuke knew exactly why he arrived on time every morning. It was because she was usually on time, too.

"Sasuke-kun!" he heard a bright voice call from his left. She ran up to him, emerald eyes sparkling despite the early hour. "Good morning!"

"Hn," was his only reply. It was his reply every morning.

Instead of pouting like she used to, she just smiled warmly and settled herself across from him, watching the sun rise silently.

He watched the stars fade away instead, being replaced by the light morning sky.

For the next three hours they sat quietly, content just to enjoy the morning. He would never admit it, but he immensly enjoyed these hours of peace. It made him feel almost normal for a moment, just hanging around the bridge with Sakura.

One morning last week, the female member of his team had become ill during a mission and was unable to come to their daily training session. He remember thinking that she was weak, and that she didn't deserve to be called a ninja if she couldn't muster up enough strength to train.

He went to the bridge the next morning like he had every other day. He watched the midnight sky fade to light blue like he had every other day. But something was incredibly wrong. He wasn't content with just sitting on the bridge alone. Those three hours had been horrible.

The next morning when Sakura came walking up to him good as new, he knew what had bothered him the day before. She was part of his routine. Her greeting helped set the tone for his day, and her quiet company made him calm and relaxed.

Even though he would never admit it, the pink haired kunoichi had become important to him. No matter how much he hated it, she had found a way to get under his skin by just being herself.

Those three simple hours were the best part of his day.


	3. Fire

Set during some random mission when Team 7 were genin.

* * *

**Fire**

She shivered against the cold night air as she collected twigs. _Why didn't Naruto get these earlier? He wasn't the one busy tending to Sasuke-kun's wounds!_

Sakura scowled as she hauled her bundle to the camp site. _He's such an idiot..._ She set up the fire pit while she cursed the blond ninja in her mind. His snoring was really getting on her nerves.

_Grr! If it wasn't for me, we would freeze to death! Even Kakashi-sensei can't help! _Her emerald eyes glanced away from Naruto's sleeping bag to the snoozing jounin, his perverted book laying over his face. _He's worn out, too. Those mist nins sure gave us a run for our money. If Sasuke-kun hadn't protected me, maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt..._

She silently struck a match and lit the fire, adding small twigs to enlarge the flame. _If I wasn't so weak, maybe I could do more than apply bandages and start camp fires._

As the fire grew, so did Sakura's doubts. _I'm a failure as a kunoichi. I might as well switch teams with Ino and let her win Sasuke-kun's heart. _

"Achoo!" She could have swore her sneeze echoed in the small clearing, but none of her team stirred. Another twig was thrown into the flame.

_With this wind, I'll have to stay up all night to keep the fire going. _For hours she starred into the fire, mentally berating herself.

Just as she was getting started on thinking of everything wrong with her hair, she felt a hand on her shoulder. With a flinch she looked up, only to see a sleepy looking Sasuke standing over her head.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" she whispered as she helped him sit down next to her. "You should be asleep. How are you feeling?"

He just looked at her quietly and held out his arm. The bandage had bled through, crimson drops falling to the dirt.

"Oh dear! Let me go get some more bandages and ointment!" She scurried off to her bag and pulled out her first aid kit. _With all the doctoring I do, I should be a medic..._

With the warmth of the fire to her back, she slowly unwrapped Sasuke's arm. He slightly hissed in pain and she frowned. "It looks better than it did this afternoon, but I'll have to clean it out again."

As she wiped the large gash with medicine, his other hand ended up fisten in the red fabric laying across her thigh as he cringed in pain. She blushed for a moment, but pushed her feelings aside for a moment. _He needs me to be serious now. _

After she wrapped his arm, she risked a glance at his face. Sasuke looked udderly exhausted. His normally sharp eyes were dull, the moonlight blending with his pale skin. She lightly brushed his forehead, feeling a fever.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's fingers pushed his hair away from his damp skin. "I need to get you back to bed." She started to help him back to his sleeping bag, but he refused.

"Please..." he hoarsely whispered, fevered eyes looking to her own, "I don't want to be... alone."

Tears stung at her eyes at his tone. "Sasuke-kun..." She settled down next to him in front of the fire, letting his head rest in her lap. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair, occasionally wiping the sweat off his forehead with a damp towel.

She threw another stick into the fire and watched it smolder. "If I had my way, Sasuke-kun," she whispered as she gazed into the roaring flames, "you would never have to be alone."


	4. Storm

Sakura is upset and Sasuke takes a walk in the rain. Set during the genin days.

* * *

**Storm**

He saw the first drop before it hit the ground.

Within two seconds the sky exploded above Konoha, bring a powerful torrent of water down upon the village. A small smirk crossed his pale face. _Nothing better than the rain._

Every time it stormed, Sasuke took a walk. The quiet sound of drops hitting his umbrella, the fresh scent in the air and the nearly deserted streets drew him from his apartment and into the downpour. He would always be careful to not get himself wet, though. He hated being wet when it wasn't necessary.

Pulling out an umbrella embroidered with tiny Uchiha fans, he exited his home and made his way toward the park. It was always his favorite place to go during these times. As he passed the Yamanaka Flower shop, he made sure to walk on the opposite side of the road. He was still recovering from an Ino attack earlier that day.

When the blond girl had pounced on him, he had glanced toward Sakura hoping for assistance. Instead, she just blankly gazed at the sky. _Come to think of it, she was acting strange throughout our training session._

He pushed the image of her dull emerald eyes and half smile to the back of his mind. Whatever was wrong with her didn't concern him. Sasuke tried to keep his mind on the rain.

The only way to enter the park was through a large open area, surrounded by benches with a large fountain in the middle. As he passed though, his onyx gaze happened to rest on a splash of red sitting on a bench across from where he was standing.

Sasuke knew he should just keep walking. She hadn't seen him, so he could have continued on with his walk and enjoy the afternoon. But for some reason, the sight of Sakura sitting in the pouring rain with short streams of cherry tresses splashed across her skin captivated him. Before he knew it, he found himself inching toward her bent form.

When he sat down next to her, she didn't look up. Her dull eyes gazed at her knees. The red dress she wore to training that day was soaked through, her small hands trembling.

_What right do I have to invade her space? _Sasuke asked himself as his eyes roamed over her ashen skin. _I don't care why she's upset. _

He tilted his umbrella so it covered her body. She seemed to deflate a little more without the pounding rain lashing against her skin, sinking a little more into the bench.

_But I wish she wasn't. _A shuddered breath escaped her pink lips. The simple sound caused his chest to slightly constrict.

_She doesn't deserve it. _Slowly he placed his free hand lightly on her shoulder. She looked up with a wet face and bright eyes. He knew that not all of the water on her cheeks came from the sky.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt the urge to give a bit of comfort to another person.

"It's okay." Sakura's voice was raspy and soft. "You don't have to pretend to care."

"Sakura," he replied, the name reverberating through his mind, "I never waste my time."

She gulped and her gaze softened. "Aa. That's true." She looked nervous and he knew why.

"You don't have to tell me anything."

A small smile broke across her face, and he felt a little part of himself warm up. "Thank you."

"Hn. Next time, don't sit out in the storm. You'll get sick." He repositioned his arm so it was laying across her shoulders.

She blushed and leaned into his side, getting his formerly dry shirt wet.

He didn't seem to mind.


	5. Not Enough

Sakura breaks in to Sasuke's apartment. Set during the time skip.

* * *

**5 - Not Enough**

_He was so clean and tidy..._ she thought as she glanced around his apartment.

It had been nearly two weeks since Sasuke left Konoha. Unable to concentrate on her new lessons, she found herself coming to the places that reminded her of him most.

So eventually, Sakura ended up in Sasuke's old apartment.

She had only previously visited the comfortable apartment once when he was ill. The cleanliness had shocked her, considering he was a boy living on his own.

As her eyes swept over the main room, she spied an overturned picture frame laying on the dresser. _A picture? I had no idea Sasuke had pictures of anything._

She carefully picked it up. Her grip on the frame tightened as she realized which picture was in the frame.

_The picture we all took during our first week as Team 7..._

Sakura vividly remembered having the picture taken. She stood in between the boys, Kakashi ruffling their hair. Her copy sat in a silver frame on her night stand, and she knew Naruto kept his somewhere in the mess that took up a large portion of his apartment. Who knew what Kakashi did with his copy.

But she would have never thought that Sasuke would keep the small memento. Tears stung her eyes bitterly as she ran delicate fingers over the glass, outlining each of her teammate's faces.

_Even though you hated us at first... You began to love us somewhere along the line, didn't you Sasuke?_

She plopped down on his bed with the frame against her chest and wiped her eyes. After taking a deep breath, she leaned back into his pillow.

_This scent... It smells like soap and the forest right after it rains... Just like him._

Suddenly, a small folded piece of paper caught her eye. It stuck out from beneath the pillow, inviting her to read the contents.

_I shouldn't... but he'll never know anyway._

Sakura plucked the paper and sat up, the picture still resting in her lap. As she opened it, she was shocked to see that it was for her.

'Sakura,

I know you'll be nosy and snoop through my things. You should move on and concentrate on your training.'

A frown crossed her face. _What a jerk! _She continued reading.

'I just want you to know something. If it had been any other circumstance, any other past, any other boy instead of me... Then it would have been enough.

Sasuke'

Even though the message would have seemed cryptic to anyone else, Sakura understood immediately.

_So... He does care... Enough to tell me this, anyway..._

_But... The fact is, it wasn't enough, was it Sasuke-kun? No matter what... It was never enough._

She sat in his room for a couple more hours and let the sadness leak out of her as she reread his words.

As she closed the door, she still had the note clutched in her hand. She glanced back at the photo she had stood upright on the dresser.

_Maybe someday... Someday my love will be enough_.


	6. Sunrise

Sasuke never ran away. The aftermath of a mission a few years down the road.

* * *

**6 - Sunrise**

"How are you doing, Sasuke-kun?" the medic nin asked as she limped to his side.

"Hn," was his only response.

Her large green eyes gazed at him. In a moment of bravery, she sat down beside him.

Sasuke contemplated telling her to go away. The mission had ran long, and he was tired. But she didn't try to violate his space this time. She just sat next to him in quiet companionship.

Twilight still hung heavily in the sky, the sun not quite peeking over the horizon. "You?" he asked.

A small smile crossed her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. A couple bumps a bruises, but no big deal."

"Your ankle is injured." Did she think she could fool him?

"Aa, that too. But it's just a flesh wound. It'll heal." Her breathing was heavy, and he knew the kunoichi was tired.

"How's the dobe and Kakashi?" he asked quietly. He squinted as the first beam of light hit his face, casting long shadows across the land.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, then replied, "Naruto's sound asleep. Of coarse, he didn't need my help to heal himself." Sasuke nodded, amazed once again by the properties of the Kyuubi. "Kakashi-sensei was pretty bad. I healed his shoulder and leg, but he needs to rest for awhile. Your the only one I haven't looked over."

Both pairs of eyes had gotten used to the morning light and watched the sky change from deep orange to light pink. "Don't worry about me," he told her.

A sad smile crossed her face. "I'll always worry about you."

He glanced at his teammate. Her pale cheeks were painted with the colors of the morning, her hands trembling from exhaustion. "You shouldn't."

She shrugged and tugged on his sleeve. "Let me see your arm. Please."

He scowled, but allowed her to pull up the fabric covering the wound. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she placed her hands over the wound.

Her chakra flowed like liquid heat into the deep gash, sending a shiver up his spine. The kunoichi's face was covered in concentration as she healed his wound.

He looked at her. Not like he normally did, but really looked at her. She wasn't an incredibly beauty, but she had a strange charm in her appearance that made many men in Konoha look her way. She still wore red, her signature color. Her cherry pink tresses were still short, but it suited her better that way. Even after so much heart ache and pain, her emerald eyes still retained the sparkle they had since they were children.

But they weren't kids anymore. They killed people on every mission. Together, they had done so much.

Her hands left his arm and he looked over her work. There was hardly a scar anymore. Before he could tell her that she had done well, she fell back on the grass, fast asleep.

He sighed and scooped her up in his arms, the sun warming their walk back to camp. Sasuke smiled at her peaceful look on her face.

Even after a bloody night, the sunrise always made things look promising.


	7. Red

Set about a year after Sasuke abandons the village.

* * *

**Red**

The color was burned into her mind.

It consumed her eyes like fire. Everywhere she went, she saw red. But it was never the right shade of red.

She walked into the flower shop with a wistful look, her mind lost in thought. "Hey Forehead-girl!" The haughty voice grazed her ears lightly, bringing her attention to the blond behind the counter.

"Hey Ino-pig," Sakura said with a small grin. It was completely half-hearted; she knew Ino could tell.

"Looking for the usual?" Ino said lightly, circling the counter and strolling to the back. Sakura followed.

Her light green eyes glanced around the shop. So many beautiful colors surrounded her: pinks, oranges, yellows, purples, blues.

Sakura only saw the red flowers.

"Here we are!" Ino pulled a half dozen roses out of the back of the case. "I saved them for you."

"Thanks," Sakura replied with a flat tone.

Ino rang up her purchase quickly. She already knew the price; Sakura bought the same thing every week.

"You know..." Ino said as she put the money in the cash drawer. "It's been nearly a year. Don't you think..."

But Sakura was gone.

Her pale hands gripped the bundle tightly as she walked home, eyes never leaving the flowers. They were the same color, the only thing she could find that was the exact same hue. Not wanting to talk to her mother, she hopped into her window from the ground.

With a deep breath, she took the dead roses out of the vase and sat the new ones on her desk. After refreshing the water, she put them inside, arranging them with empty gestures.

"It's something small," she said gently as she placed the vase on the shelf next to the window. The crimson petals looked rich in the sunlight.

"But..." Her finger ran over the small Uchiha fan engraved on the vase. "It's enough to remember."

When she thought of Sasuke, all she saw was red. The roses were the same shade as fire, the same shade as blood, the same shade as the Sharingan, the same shade she burned into her mind to remember him properly.


	8. Strangers

Set during chapter 306.

* * *

**Strangers**

He knew they were coming.

The feeling of their charka was burned into his memory. For a moment he allowed himself to be nostalgic.

Sasuke remembered the way Naruto would look at him, those bright blue eyes full of rivalry and compassion. The boy's perseverance against all odds was inspiring. Naruto was truly his best friend.

Then there was Sakura, tear stained cheeks and bloodshot emerald eyes burned into his memory. Her weakness, her obnoxious voice, her overbearing personality, her obsession with him: these things defined her in his mind. He wished he could remember more positive things about her.

He saw them through a veil, thought of them in past tense. As far as he was concerned, his teammates were cemented in time and he was the only one moving forward. The Naruto and Sakura he knew were part of a film that perpetually ran in his mind, never changing.

Not that he would ever admit to missing them, missing those crazy missions with Kakashi. He was far too jaded for that.

Then he became aware of himself once again. The boy he was fighting wasn't a threat. Sasuke leaped out of a hole in the ceiling, looking down on him.

A shock of red fabric and pink hair burst through the hall entrance, and suddenly he knew. Time kept moving. It kept moving for them just as it had for himself.

"Ah..." he said, his voice suddenly sounding foreign to his own ears. "Is that Sakura?"

She looked up a him with understandable shock. The tears were gone. Her eyes were clear. Confidence emanated from her very being.

The Sakura of his memory was gone. This young woman was nothing more than a stranger.


	9. Star

A bit confusing. I hope you can understand what's happening. Set in a slightly alternative time line.

* * *

**Star**

"If you wished on a star, what would you wish for?"

He remained quiet.

Sakura sighed and looked up at the clear sky. "If I could have anything…"

She bit her lip, running through all the options. There were many things that she wanted, but which one would make Sasuke love her? "I would wish to be stronger!"

He scoffed. "You don't wish for strength, you earn it." With that he stood and left the young girl on the bridge, a frown spreading across her face.

* * *

Her gaze bore into his dull eyes, her fists raised in front of her chest. They were both a bit winded; her forehead was bleeding and a large bruise was forming on the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

"I wish things were different," she said in a desperate tone, giving him another chance.

A small smirk crossed his lips, and then he was before her, his blade at her throat. "Wishes are for children. You have to take what you want."

She deflected the blade quickly, a drop of blood running down her neck from the slight cut. Naruto's cry of rage met her ears and the boys began another epic battle in their eternal rivalry.

Sakura looked up at the night sky. She wished on every star with all her might. It was the only hope she had left.

* * *

He passed her in chakra sealing handcuffs, and she couldn't stop the tear from slipping from the edge of her eye.

"I wish I could help…" she whispered softly.

"Don't cry for me," he said gruffly, not looking at her as the ANBU pulled him roughly into the Godaime's office. Naruto sat beside her, lost in his own thoughts. His hand gripped her knee tightly.

Sakura closed her eyes and took a staggering breath. She wondered if the stars paid any attention at all to the hopes of those bound to the planet below.

But she kept wishing nonetheless.

* * *

The sweet scent of summer filled her senses as she looked over Konoha from the top of the Hokage mountain. She ignored the noises of the shinobi deemed with the job of carving Naruto's face next to Tsunade's.

Peace was an addicting feeling, she decided.

A rough hand touched her shoulder, and she looked back. Sasuke sat next to her, scowling at the area of the rock where the men were working.

"The dobe finally got his wish," he said in a flat tone.

"He worked hard for it," she replied. "I mean, he even saved you. That knucklehead is capable of anything."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He didn't save me."

Sakura just looked at him, but he didn't continue. His eyes scanned the village lazily.

"Did you ever stop wishing on stars?" he asked.

With a small smile on her face, she took his hand into her own. He didn't pull away.

"No, I didn't."

* * *

Laughter filled the air, sounds of little footsteps echoing around the newly refurbished Uchiha manner.

Sakura's oldest child stopped near where she was cooking dinner. "Daddy's home," he exclaimed, quickly running to the back yard. She smiled and sat down her spoon, following the bobble of dark hair through the sliding wooden door.

Sasuke had two girls in his arms, the toddlers laughing loudly as the older boy jumped on their father's back. "Hey, a little help?" he asked, trying to shake off his children.

"You like it," she said with a grin. He just smiled.

Later they sat together on the porch, the children sleeping in their rooms. "I'm glad you're home," she said softly, leaning against his side.

His arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Me too. The police station is still in it's early stages, so it's a bit hectic right now. Partially due to the dobe, coming by to pester me nearly every day. You'd think the Hokage would be too busy for that."

"That's Naruto for you. He's just excited about his new daughter. You know he's wanted a family more than anything."

He just sighed. "It looks like all his wishes are coming true."

She looked at the sky. "If you wished on a star, what would you wish for?"

"Nothing."

"You earn what you want, right?" she asked.

"No. I don't need anything else."

Sakura just smiled and watched the stars. They seemed to be winking at her, and she no longer felt the need for wishes.


	10. Who?

Kind of experimental. I tried out a first person POV for the first time. Sasuke, a little introspective. Kinda canon, kinda not. Please tell me what you think.

* * *

**Who?**

I remember a time when things were simple; when they were obvious.

I'd come home from the park to find my mother and father in the kitchen, talking about Itachi. He was their pride and joy. All I wanted to do was be like him. Maybe then they would love me like that, and talk about me in such a proud tone.

My father would pat me on the head. "You're an Uchiha," he would say. "You'll be great someday."

I wanted to be great. I wanted to make them proud. That's who I was then.

* * *

I entered the academy and breezed through every course, graduating at the top of my class. It was easy.

All that was on my mind was revenge.

Even when I was with my genin team, all I could think about was revenge against him, against the man that destroyed my life.

Avenger. I gave myself that title. I thought it suited me. I would avenge my family and revive my clan.

That's all there was to me.

* * *

The way she looked at me that day is still engraved in my mind. Her tear-stained face, those big green eyes.

"Don't go, please."

She grabbed my shirt, tried to pull me back to Konoha.

"I need you here."

Holding me back. That's all I could think about.

"I love you."

I moved behind her and knocked her out. My apology seemed weak.

I seemed weak. I hungered for the power to achieve my dreams, even if that meant betraying my home and my team. That's the kind of person I had become, so desperate for strength.

So desperate for revenge.

* * *

It wasn't worth it, I think.

Itachi is dead. Every reason I had for killing him is dead. Things weren't as they seemed, nothing was as I thought.

The world is upside down.

Now I sit here, nearly dead. They're coming for me, I can feel it. I can feel him, and his intense chakra.

I can feel her, and her forcefully healing presence.

Her hands are on my chest, liquid heat is flowing into my body. I can feel myself begin to heal.

"Don't die, you bastard!"

"Calm down Naruto, I'm trying to work."

They sound so foreign now. So unfamiliar.

Her touch makes me nervous.

"I've done all I can here, we need to transport him back to Konoha quickly."

"Alright, I'll get the others."

"Hold on, Sasuke."

Her hand wraps around mine, and I crack open my eyes. She's looking at me with worry and compassion. She looks slightly distant. I don't blame her.

She's like a vision from a past life. Where did that cocky, self assured version of me go?

He could have lived a different life, I think.

Would he have been a jounin by now? Would he be protecting Konoha with his life with these people? Would he have found happiness?

I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I'm an avenger.

Who am I?


End file.
